Drought concerns remain on Mississippi River despite recent rain, experts say

TUNICA, Miss. — It poured down rain this weekend in the Mid-South.

It was welcome rain, helping get rid of some drought conditions.

Is that enough to get rid of low water conditions on the Mississippi River?

As FOX13 found out, the water is still low and could still wind up costing you dollars.

A lot of farmers told FOX13 that a number of graineries on the river have stopped taking grain because the water is so low.

”Obviously, it is so low we can’t get barges in and out,” said Jake Graves, a fifth-generation farmer from Tunica.

Just looking at the water in the river, it doesn’t look like it has come up any since last week.

Graves said that the problems persist and more rain is needed so the river will come up.

”I have rice and beans and corn in the bins right now and we haven’t heard a word the rice folks tell us. They have no word as to when we can ship out rice,” Graves said.

Agriculture economists at Mississippi State said that they can’t say how the slowing of barge traffic will affect food prices. It depends on how much grain is available worldwide and how long the river stays low.

”So, what a lot of farmers are having to do is to rent grain bins or put grain in the bins, which is more electricity, and wait for the river to raise back up so we can send it to the river,” Graves said

If there is any good news in this, it is that the fertilizer needed to fertilize crops also has to be shipped in, but the river should be up again by the spring, when it is needed.

For now the concern is getting grain moved.

“They say that there are not enough trucks in the U.S. to haul the amount of grain that is hauled up and down that river,” Graves said.